Bigjigs Toys: A Year In Review 2022
2022 has been a very busy and exciting year for Bigjigs Toys! It saw us become the UK distributors of Schylling, kick-start the successful Kent Help For Ukraine charity, launch kids' costumes (for the first time ever), welcome some new (and old) faces to the Bigjigs Toys team, and much more.
To each and every one of you who has helped play a part in it, thank you! Here's to a great 2023.
January
London Toy Fair
With COVID-19 becoming a distant memory, we were excited to attend Toy Fair 2022 at Olympia London for the first time since 2019. We met lots of lovely new customers and were inspired by all of the talented exhibitors.
February
UK Distributors of Schylling
A new year of course meant a new brand! We were ecstatic to announce that we are the UK, Ireland, and EU distributor of award-winning American novelty toy and gift brand, Schylling.
March
Kent Help For Ukraine (KHFU)
We were deeply saddened by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Established by local volunteers, Kent Help For Ukraine (KHFU) is led by Bigjigs Toys' founder, Peter Ireland, and Dan File, Headteacher of Elham Primary School. Volunteers worked to raise funds and collect, pack and deliver humanitarian aid at our warehouse to the people of Ukraine. Across 2022, 20 HGV lorries successfully arrived in Ukraine.
April
YouTube Star Helps Our KHFU Appeal
YouTube fitness sensation MattDoesFitness (alongside the help of GymShark & MyProtein) supported our Kent Help For Ukraine Mission with this amazing YouTube video!
May
Toy News Cover
Stop, press! We made the front cover of Toy News' SS 22 issue with NeeDoh taking centre stage.
June
UKMums.TV Bronze Award Winners
Woohoo, our FSC Noah's Ark won Bronze in the UKMums.tv Baby & Preschool Awards!
June also saw our brand new Shopify website launch for an even more seamless shopping experience. Bigjigs Rail, Green Toys UK, and Didicar also got makeovers.
July
It Came Home
After 56 years of hurt, the Lionesses brought it home! England won their first Women's Euro and we were behind them all the way.
August
80% Less Plastic
Over the last two years, our packaging underwent a big redesign. We reduced plastic in our rolling stock packaging by a whopping 80%! What's more, the new design means that all of our trains can be opened by hand without scissors, meaning they are now completely child-friendly.
We also teamed up with the RNLI for a handy piece on How Can Kids Stay Safe At The Beach? with some very useful tips (as demonstrated by RNLI Robin Doll).
September
New Silicone Sand Moulds & Watering Cans
A sustainable alternative to traditional plastic, we expanded our silicone beach toy collection with sand moulds and watering cans. The sand moulds feature four different designs (a starfish, crab, fish and turtle) and come in an eco-friendly net storage bag. The watering can has an easy-grip handle and easily fits into beach bags.
October
Kids Fancy Dress Costumes
For the first time EVER, we launched a brand new kids dressing up range. Suitable for little ones aged 3-5 years, they can take their pick from being a builder, doctor, scientist, firefighter, police officer or princess. Psst, you can read up on how to pick the best costume here.
November
25k Instagram Followers
This month, we hit a new social media milestone with a whopping 25k followers on Instagram! Just a few weeks before, YouTube entrepreneur Zoella featured a handful of our toys on her channel and the video reached over 900k views. November also saw our hard-working warehouse team pick an incredible 45k toys to be delivered to homes all over the UK.
December
Bigjigs Toys Advent Calendar
Every day up until Christmas Eve, we announced an exclusive discount or free gift as part of our annual Bigjigs Toys Advent Calendar. Thrifty customers bagged themselves 10% off some of our best-selling toys, including Bigjigs Rail train sets, Didicar ride on toys, eco-friendly Green Toys and more.